While I won't get sucked into a discussion of how to define a conservative Episcopal bishop, I will use the term here to describe those bishops who are at least somewhat opposed to having same-sex marriage rites used in their jurisdictions. These men desire to remain Episcopalian despite the terrible drag the national organization has on membership.
The recent strongly worded pastoral letter from the Bishop of Albany on same-sex marriage in which he lays out the orthodox position regarding same-sex relationships was applauded by some in his diocese but burned near the church steps by others after it was released this week. It is too lengthy to quote in its entirety, so I encourage you to follow the links provided.
There are only a handful of bishops left in the Episcopal organization willing to oppose the progressive agenda like Bishop Love, but the actions of the most recent Episcopal General Convention have painted them all into a corner, and they "shall" have to permit trial rites for same-sex marriages by providing alternative oversight from a progressive bishop.
Bishop Love's line in the sand may land him in hot water, but how healthy is his diocese anyway, and how healthy are the dioceses of the other "conservative" bishops?
A look at the statistics from the last 10 years shows that their dioceses are all losing members. The following numbers are estimates derived from graphic charts provided by the Episcopal organization of average Sunday attendance (ASA) in each diocese over the time period of 2007-2017.
Diocese of Albany (Bishop William Love) ASA dropped from 7000-5000
Diocese of Central Florida (Bishop Greg Brewer) ASA dropped from 15,000-13000
Diocese of Dallas (Bishop George Sumner) ASA dropped from 12,000-11,000
Diocese of Florida (Samuel Howard) ASA dropped from 9000-8000
Diocese of North Dakota (Bishop Michael Smith) ASA dropped from 750-550
Diocese of Springfield (Bishop Daniel Martins) ASA dropped from 2200-1500
Diocese of Tennessee (Bishop John Bauerschmidt) ASA dropped from 6000-5500
Diocese of West Texas (Bishop David Reed) ASA dropped from 10,000-8500
Diocese of Virgin Islands (Bishop Ambrose Gumbs) ASA dropped from 2200-1300
These kinds of losses are just as bad as the losses seen by the Episcopal organization as a whole.
Many of us used to believe that if we just elected a conservative bishop, then we could defend our little islands and even grow the Church. That theory is either wrong, or the bishops we elected are not conservative enough, or the Holy Spirit has rightfully abandoned the Episcopal sect. One could argue that a truly orthodox bishop would have pulled his people out of the Episcopal mud swamp long ago, and that the current lot, by hanging with the lunatics on the left, are actually harming their dioceses. I am sure there are other issues as well (such as one of the bishops mentioned above not even residing within his diocese).
Rather than travelling on junkets, wasting time with the rest of the House of Bishops, or arguing over whether or not intinction shall be permitted, these men need to be out in the streets dragging the unchurched back and bringing unbelievers to Christ. They need to be visiting their parishes and encouraging their priests and congregants to be doing the same, and if their priests are not capable, then they need to replace them with ones who will be their boots on the ground.
I suppose it is hard to evangelize when you are yoked to the rest of the Episcopal sect. Their false gospel will be rejected by most unbelievers, as well as "conservative" seekers. Who wants to see part of their pledge dollars going to fund an organization that endorses horrors such as infanticide?
Bishop Love and his "conservative" buddies are not holding their own, and they need to recognize the problem and deal with it once and for all. Bishop Love's pastoral letter is something that each and every one of them need to adopt for their diocese, and then face the consequences. Excommunication from a heretical sect would be a blessing.
The recent strongly worded pastoral letter from the Bishop of Albany on same-sex marriage in which he lays out the orthodox position regarding same-sex relationships was applauded by some in his diocese but burned near the church steps by others after it was released this week. It is too lengthy to quote in its entirety, so I encourage you to follow the links provided.
There are only a handful of bishops left in the Episcopal organization willing to oppose the progressive agenda like Bishop Love, but the actions of the most recent Episcopal General Convention have painted them all into a corner, and they "shall" have to permit trial rites for same-sex marriages by providing alternative oversight from a progressive bishop.
Bishop Love's line in the sand may land him in hot water, but how healthy is his diocese anyway, and how healthy are the dioceses of the other "conservative" bishops?
A look at the statistics from the last 10 years shows that their dioceses are all losing members. The following numbers are estimates derived from graphic charts provided by the Episcopal organization of average Sunday attendance (ASA) in each diocese over the time period of 2007-2017.
Diocese of Albany (Bishop William Love) ASA dropped from 7000-5000
Diocese of Central Florida (Bishop Greg Brewer) ASA dropped from 15,000-13000
Diocese of Dallas (Bishop George Sumner) ASA dropped from 12,000-11,000
Diocese of Florida (Samuel Howard) ASA dropped from 9000-8000
Diocese of North Dakota (Bishop Michael Smith) ASA dropped from 750-550
Diocese of Springfield (Bishop Daniel Martins) ASA dropped from 2200-1500
Diocese of Tennessee (Bishop John Bauerschmidt) ASA dropped from 6000-5500
Diocese of West Texas (Bishop David Reed) ASA dropped from 10,000-8500
Diocese of Virgin Islands (Bishop Ambrose Gumbs) ASA dropped from 2200-1300
These kinds of losses are just as bad as the losses seen by the Episcopal organization as a whole.
Many of us used to believe that if we just elected a conservative bishop, then we could defend our little islands and even grow the Church. That theory is either wrong, or the bishops we elected are not conservative enough, or the Holy Spirit has rightfully abandoned the Episcopal sect. One could argue that a truly orthodox bishop would have pulled his people out of the Episcopal mud swamp long ago, and that the current lot, by hanging with the lunatics on the left, are actually harming their dioceses. I am sure there are other issues as well (such as one of the bishops mentioned above not even residing within his diocese).
Rather than travelling on junkets, wasting time with the rest of the House of Bishops, or arguing over whether or not intinction shall be permitted, these men need to be out in the streets dragging the unchurched back and bringing unbelievers to Christ. They need to be visiting their parishes and encouraging their priests and congregants to be doing the same, and if their priests are not capable, then they need to replace them with ones who will be their boots on the ground.
I suppose it is hard to evangelize when you are yoked to the rest of the Episcopal sect. Their false gospel will be rejected by most unbelievers, as well as "conservative" seekers. Who wants to see part of their pledge dollars going to fund an organization that endorses horrors such as infanticide?
Bishop Love and his "conservative" buddies are not holding their own, and they need to recognize the problem and deal with it once and for all. Bishop Love's pastoral letter is something that each and every one of them need to adopt for their diocese, and then face the consequences. Excommunication from a heretical sect would be a blessing.
Posts
Remember Greg Griffith's post about depicting the ECUSA struggles by a pew, on which the parishioners were arranged in degrees from left (most liberal) to right (most conservative)? He prophesied that the tendencies in the church were such that more and more would sit down on the left, with the result that those farthest right on the pew would be shoved off, to go look for fellowship and worship elsewhere in the more traditional Anglican Communion.
ReplyDeleteWell, that is the current situation in the Diocese of Albany. Bishop Love occupies a position at the far right of the pew, and the Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies are encouraging others to pile in from the left, so as to shove Bishop Love off his pew and out of the church.
One has to wonder when those to the right of the pew will call a halt to this shoving process. If it is not opposed, the end result, of course, will be that none but the most left of the left remain in the church and on the pew.
Bishop Love's letter is a clarion call to those still managing to stay to the right on the pew. If they fail to stand their ground, there is no future for them in ECUSA.
His challenge is to reverse this fatal slide from the left. For that to happen, pesters will first have to realize from where they are being pushed.
In Episcopal circles, the push from the left is usually met with a polite shift of the rump to make more room on the pew. Eventually those on the right will find themselves off the pew altogether.
DeleteBurning the bishop's statement on the front steps is not a good sign, nor is the fact that several rectors in that report declined comment.
ReplyDeleteYes, I fear Albany is infected.
DeleteWith reference to the decline in "conservative" ECUSA dioceses: People can see the handwriting on the wall. "My diocese is fine" and "My parish is fine" only work for so long. People lose confidence. In a similar way, think of the damage being done to the Catholic church in the USA by their own bishops and the ones in Rome. Who would go join who wasn't already Catholic and was, besides, an incurable optimist? ECUSA's shenanigans have not been good for Christianity, and nor are Rome's.
ReplyDeleteRight on.
Delete